Electrical protection for oil storage



Feb. 21, 1928. 1,659,652 7 w. G. HALL ELECTRICAL PROTECTION FOR OILSTORAGE Filed May 5, 1926 11v VENTOR W/MsLOW G, HALI- W /3 AM A TTORNE YFatented Feb. 21, 1928.

UNITED STATES WINSLOW G. HALL, OF BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRICAL PROTECTION FOR OIL STORAGE.

Application filed May 3, 1926.

This invention relates to a method and cans for protecting Oll storagereservoirs tr he dangers of confiagration through stof electricity. Theobjects ot 5 th. ention are to provide a method and e practicable andetl'ective charges of any nature whether thin the oil body, gas blanketor irrounoing media, and occasioned through ;;.iictional or inductioninfluences or direct stroke of l ghtning.

Briefly st ted, my method comprises surrounding and penetrating thecontainer and its contents with a great number of electrical conductorsforming a single grounded system and wl ereby the equipotentialcondition of the reservoir and its contents is maintained and anyunbalanced electrical stresses prevented.

The drawings accompanying this application are diagrammaticrepresentations of my system of electrical conductors applied to an oilstorage reservoir, Fig. 1 being a sectional 25 elevation of anoilstorage reservoir equipped as outlined above, and Fig. 2 is a plan viewoi the same.

In the drawings the reservoir 1 is pre-.

sented as of concrete imbedded in the earth 2, tho it to be understoodthat my system applies to oil storage reservoirs 01 any type or sizeholding a supply oi any kind of oil, whether some he crude, refined, orgasoline.

The reservoir is covered by a root preferably of wooden construction andwhich root in large reservoirs is suitably supported in the usual way onposts not shown.

liithin the reservoir passing through the bot oi oil and grounded attheir lower are spaced electrical conductorso preferably made of piping,while extending horizontally throughout the reservoir within the oil land blanket 6 are conductors 7 also grounded at. their ends andelectrically secured to the vertical conductors 5 preterably by welding,tho it all are of piping, screw fittings may be used to form the joints.

An additional net-work t conductors is secured to the under side of thereservoir cover as at 8 all welded together and to the verticalconductors 5, While the outer surface of Serial N0. 106,426.

the cover is preferably sheathed with metal as at 9 also electricallysecured to the vertical conductors 5.

The surface conductors both on the inner and outer surface of the covermay consist of heavy wire mesh in place of solid sheathing if desired,and the vertical conductors extending through and above the cover, orroot 3 supports an additional network of conductors 10 over and beyondthe entire reservoir further supported by other vertical posts,preferably grounded conductors, ll electrically connected to theelevated network and ei'fectively grounded at many points as at 12.

By thus forming a grounded gridiron of conductors completely surroundingand penetrating everywhere the reservoir, oil body, gas blanket, andsurfaces or" relativc ly dielectric stratas, the possibility ofaccumulated electrical potential; with danger o1? disruptive discharges;is entirely avoided either within the oil through pumping or otherfrictional movement, or at any point through outside electricaldisturbances.

I claim:

1. In the storing of oil and its liquid products, the provision of anetwork of grounded electrical conductors above the entire area of thereservoir, and extensions of the conductors passing through the oilwithin the reservoir.

2. In the storing of oil and its liquid products, the provision of anetwork of grounded electrical conductors above the entire area of thereservoir, and extensions of the conductors passing through the oilithin the reservoir, and an additional layer of conductors on the rootof the reservoir electrically connected to the aforesaid conductors.

In the storing of oil and its liquid prod ucts, the provision of anetwork of grounded electrical conductors above the entire area of thereservoir, and extensions of the conductors passing through the gasblanket and oil within the reservoir, and additionally grounded throughthe reservoir so as to bring all to substantially equipotentialcondition.

WVIN SLOW Gr. HALL.

